NEW YORK’S POLICE commissioner Bill Bratton has said it was “very inappropriate” for officers outside the funeral of Rafael Ramos, who was shot dead earlier this month, to turn their backs in protest as the mayor spoke.
“That funeral was held to honor Officer Ramos, and to bring politics, to bring issues into that event, I think was very inappropriate, and I do not support it,” Bratton told CBS talk show “Face the Nation.”
“He is the mayor of New York. He was there representing the citizens of New York to express their remorse and their regret at that death,” he added.
At the same time, it is reflective, unfortunately, of the feelings of some of our officers.
Protests sparked by police killings of unarmed black men have drawn race relations and policing into the national spotlight, with some accusing police of using excessive force against blacks.
But the protests have also sparked anger from some police officers. They say some officials have been too sympathetic and accuse them of inciting violence against law enforcement officers.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke publicly about the counsel he gave to his biracial son to take extra care when dealing with police.
Some police representatives went as far as connecting the statement to the recent double murder of Ramos and his partner.
In a separate interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bratton said the mistrust of police officers by minorities needed to be addressed.
“There’s no denying that among the black community there are those concerns,” Bratton said.
“It has to be part of the dialogue,” the commissioner said, adding that it wasn’t simply a race issue.
The debate is also about poverty, class said de Blasio should apologize for his comments.
“He created an impression with the police that he was on the side of the protesters,” said the former mayor, who argued that some of the demonstrators took their rhetoric too far.
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